Grad prom makeup — ramp up the glamour

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They’ve got the dresses, the dates are lined up, as are the limos, but this year’s grads still have a few decisions to make before the big night. How to ramp up the glamour? How to achieve luxe locks? Should they go for a kitten or smoky eye?

The tricky thing about getting dolled up at this age is that girls haven’t necessarily figured out their identity. They still harbour dreams of being a Disney princess, but they have been immersed in images of young women in the club scene — or at least what they look like on the TV beer commercials or music videos. So when they go all out, they can make the mistake that more is better.

Not so, says Caitlin Callahan, MAC cosmetics senior artist, adding that there is a lovely middle ground between fairy tale and Jersey Shore. “Freckles are good,” she says, for instance. “They are young. They should not be covered up.”

Callahan says makeup is a form of fashion. It’s a way to play with your identity.

“It’s not beauty,” she says. “Makeup is a trend that makes you feel a certain way. Just play with it, try new things, then wash it off.”

As senior cosmetics artist, Callahan travels the world doing runway shows and checking out makeup trends. Lipstick has made a big comeback this spring with loads of colours being introduced. False lashes are also super trendy. But she warns girls not to choose super long lashes. She suggests MAC’s #33 lashes which are long in the centre but shorter on the ends.

After a long period of dark, heavy brows, natural brows or even bleached brows are also returning. She says if you do a strong eye treatment, leave the brows alone.

This spring and summer, MAC defined specific looks that dominated both on and off the runways. Of course, on the runways, the looks are hugely exaggerated. We had Callahan demonstrate how these trends can be interpreted for graduating girls.

Neon

The idea with neon is pop. It selects one part of the face and gives it a big pop of colour. On the runway, this translated into blue lips or super green eyes. But in real life, the best place for bold colour is the lips. And with lipsticks back in fashion in a big way after years of gloss, it’s a perfect way to showcase a luscious pair of lips. The trick to keeping it youthful and balanced is to put the lipstick on before you apply anything to the eyes. If you leave the lips to last, the tendency is to load on the eyes and before you know it, you look like Jersey Shore’s Snooki. Best to treat the eyes with a light touch. False lashes or mascara is enough.

MAC complements the resurgent interest in lipstick with matching nail polishes for many of their most popular colours.

Nouveau

Powders are out, creams are in. The goal now isn’t to remove any shine from the face but to enhance it without looking greasy. Think glowing skin. The idea is to allow the light to reflect off the temple or cheekbones. Nouveau faces don’t have stops and starts or contours of colours. Instead, it’s like a water colour in which the colours blend together when laid on top of each other. Mineral makeup is ideal for this because with a little moisture it becomes like a paint that changes with each additional colour. Our models were done in this way — Stephanie’s skin and Christina’s smoky eyes.

Ath-elite

This trend really emphasizes the eyes with a strong retro Parisian type look. But the skin is left as natural as possible giving it a healthy almost athletic glow with a shine down the centre of the face. Callahan says it has been described as Liz Taylor at the gym but maybe Audrey Hepburn is more appropriate. It has a really strong eye but really dewy skin. It uses cream blushes and just lip conditioner. “Then boom — it’s got that really strong liner,” Callahan says.

The goal, whomever you want to be, is to find balance — a strong lip goes with a light eye and vice versa. And show off your youthful look. You may not value it right now, but trust me, it is the best look you will ever have.

MAC books one-hour private makeovers for $55 which includes a free ($20) mascara. MAC at the Bay offers the same service on the shop floor for free if you buy the products used.kgram@vancouversun.com

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